Few plants are more celebrated in Egyptian mythology than the blue lotus, a water lily. Its petals covered the body of King Tut when they opened his tomb in 1922, and its flowers often adorn ancient papyri scrolls. Scholars have long hypothesized that the lilies, when soaked in wine, release psychedelic properties used at hallucinogenic rituals dating back some 3,000 years.
In collaboration with the chemists at UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, Liam McEvoy, a UC Berkeley student, studies the Egyptian blue lotus and the chemical properties that differentiate it from products sold on online platforms like Etsy.
Online, products branded as “the blue lotus” promise calm moments and psychedelic trips. But they're far different from what ancient Egyptians consumed, McEvoy, explains. They found the nuciferine levels were much higher in verified Egyptian blue lotus when compared to the Etsy-sourced flower, leading McEvoy to believe that flowers sold online are actually a visually striking, but otherwise common, non-psychoactive water lily.
“The stuff being sold online is not the same, and our findings suggest the blue lotus is actually unique in comparison to other water lilies,” McEvoy said. “It’s a very specific plant.”
Sadly, the authentic Egyptian blue lotus has become incredibly rare, with the construction of the Aswan dam on the southern Nile dramatically altering its native environment. The plant is now considered to be threatened and on the verge of being endangered
The image is credited to Diego Moran/ UC Berkeley News, March 11, 2025 in Jason Pohl’s article “Investigating the psychedelic blue lotus of Egypt, where ancient magic meets modern science”
- Read about recent archaeological discoveries—such as the famous perfume factory at Thmuis—reveal that ancient Egypt operated one of the world’s earliest and most advanced fragrance industries. These factories produced iconic formulas like the Mendesian, blending myrrh, cinnamon, and cardamom into warm, resinous oils.→ Egyptian Musk and the Ancient Art of Perfumery
